Your reps optimize for exactly what you pay them to do.
The question is whether that's what you actually want. Apex Compensation designs incentive plans and comp architecture that engineer the behaviors your business needs to grow.
Three ways to work with us.
Pricing reflects the scope of your org: the number of roles, segments, and plans involved. Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute call where we figure out what actually makes sense.
Comp Diagnostic
Find what's broken. Fast.
Starting at $6K
Fixed fee, scoped upfront · 2-3 weeks
We audit your existing comp plan, quota structure, and payout history to surface the gaps, misalignments, and silent killers in your current model. You get a clear diagnosis and a prioritized action list.
- Full comp plan audit
- Quota attainment analysis
- Behavior misalignment report
- Prioritized recommendations
Plan Design Sprint
Rebuild it right.
Starting at $15K
Scoped by org size, segments, and number of roles · 4-6 weeks
We redesign your comp plan from the ground up, built around the specific behaviors that drive revenue at your stage. No templates. No recycled frameworks. Custom architecture for your org.
- Custom comp plan design
- Quota and ramp modeling
- Accelerator and kicker structure
- Implementation playbook
- Rep communication guide
Annual Comp Architecture
Strategic partner. Year-round.
Custom retainer
Scoped by org size and engagement depth · 6-12 months
Embedded comp leadership without the headcount. We own your compensation strategy, annual plan design, mid-year adjustments, and rep-level modeling. Think of us as your comp team.
- Full annual comp design
- Quarterly review and adjustment
- New role comp modeling
- SPIF strategy (when warranted)
- Board and leadership reporting
- Ongoing advisory access
- Compliance-ready documentation (ASC 606, SOX)
All engagements begin with a free 30-minute discovery call. No pressure, no pitch deck.
What working with Apex actually looks like.
From first conversation to rollout, here's how every engagement runs. Simple, direct, no black boxes.
Discovery call
We start with a free 30-minute call. No deck, no pitch. Just an honest conversation about where your comp plan is, what's driving the pain, and whether Apex is the right fit.
Scoping and proposal
Based on your org size, number of roles, and what needs to get done, we scope the engagement and send a clear proposal. Fixed fee or retainer, depending on the work. No surprises.
Design and build
We work directly with you and your leadership team. Weekly check-ins, real-time collaboration, and a process built around your timeline. No junior staff, no handoffs mid-engagement.
Handoff and enablement
You get a plan your reps can understand in 60 seconds and your leadership can defend in a board meeting. We build the documentation, communication materials, and rollout support to make it stick.
Five positions that define how we work.
These aren't just opinions. They're the principles that inform every recommendation we make. Reasonable people can disagree. But we've seen these play out enough times to have conviction.
Kill your MBOs.
Subjective comp creates subjective results.
MBOs sound rigorous. In practice, they're where accountability goes to die. Managers give 4s and 5s because a 2 is uncomfortable. Reps learn to document selectively. If you can't measure it objectively, it doesn't belong in a comp plan.
Simplicity over sophistication.
If reps can't explain it in 60 seconds, it's broken.
Most Series B-D plans have six, eight, ten components. Each made sense when added. In aggregate, it's incomprehensible. Reps can't optimize for what they can't understand. Complexity isn't sophisticated. It's just confusing.
Stop using SPIFs as band-aids.
A SPIF is an admission that your base plan isn't working.
Every time you reach for a SPIF, you're papering over a structural problem. Reps game timing, hold deals, and chase SPIF dollars at the expense of high-value activity. Fix the underlying plan. SPIFs should be rare exceptions, not quarterly traditions.
Pay fast, not cautious.
The psychological feedback loop matters more than accounting convenience.
CFOs want to hold payouts until churn risk passes. Finance builds systems around monthly runs because it's operationally convenient. Behavioral science disagrees. The tighter the link between action and reward, the stronger the reinforcement. Show reps the impact of their work as fast as operationally possible.
Uncap the upside.
Commission caps tell reps to stop selling.
Every CEO wants hunters. Then Finance installs a cap at 150% of quota. That cap sends a message: hunt, but not too successfully. When a rep earns $500K, ask how much revenue they generated to get there. If you're nervous about paying it, the math probably still works in your favor.
The thread connecting all of it: stop treating sales comp as a back-office function.
Start treating it as behavioral engineering.
Let's talk about your plan
Founder
Saxton Archer
Sellers designed for
2,000+
SMB to enterprise.
Every engagement
Zero handoffs.
Run by me, directly.
Sellers designed for
2,000+
SMB to enterprise.
Every engagement
Zero handoffs.
Run by me, directly.
I built sales compensation programs at Stripe, Twilio, and SOCi. Now I do it for yours.
Before launching Apex, I spent years inside some of the fastest-growing B2B SaaS companies in the world. I've designed comp plans for 2,000+ sellers across SMB, mid-market, enterprise, and channel teams. I've built entire comp functions from scratch, modeled millions in annual commission expense, and presented plan effectiveness to boards.
I know what it looks like when comp plans are working and what it looks like when they're quietly killing performance. Usually the difference isn't the numbers. It's whether the plan was designed around the behaviors you actually want, or just built to pass finance review.
Apex exists because most companies don't have someone with this background available to them full-time. Now they do, without the headcount.
For teams navigating audit readiness, board scrutiny, or compliance requirements like ASC 606 and SOX, that expertise is built into every engagement.
Let's talk about what your comp plan is actually doing.
Every conversation starts with a free 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no sales process. Just an honest look at where your plan is and what it could be.
Best for
High-growth companies scaling their sales org
Response time
Within 1 business day